The young England batsman, Ravi Bopara, has reacted angrily to the comments of former Australian star bowler Shane Warne when he wrote in a newspaper column  this week that he was  “one more bad game away from being dropped”, having criticised the number three’s lack of form in the first two games of the 2009 Ashes Series.

Whilst Bopara admitted that he need to start to score centuries if he is to retain his place  in the England batting line up, he catogorically  denied he was playing to save his place as suggested by Warne.

“I want to prove him wrong. I know he’s got to say things because he’s part of the media. I think he’s just doing his job but, yeah, it does make me a little bit more determined.”

Bopara has been acused of curbing his natural free hitting  game, to play a more restrained style during his first Ashes series. Due to the loss of Kevin Pietersen to injury, England will be looking to the  24-year-old to vastly improve on his highest score of the series so far (35) when the third Test commences  on Thursday at Edgbaston. With the return of  Bell, the last established encumbent of the No.3 batting position as the direct replacement for Pietersen, he will never have a  greater incentive.